Dairy cooperative Arla Foods has, for the first time, created transparency over the energy consumed in cottage cheese production at its Falkenberg (Sweden) location. This involves the use of the Baumer Flex-Flow sensor, which is able to measure the temperature of the medium as well as the flow rate. The cost reductions this could achieve in the future quickly made this a worthwhile investment.

At its Falkenberg location, dairy cooperative Arla Foods produces 20 000 tons of cottage cheese every year, equivalent to 76.9 tons per day. An impressive quantity indeed. Arla Foods satisfies almost the entire cottage cheese demand on the Swedish market and also exports to Finland, Denmark and Greece. Production volumes of this magnitude call for a resource-efficient manufacturing process, and Arla Foods is a forerunner when it comes to sustainability; the dairy cooperative intends to make its products completely CO2-neutral by 2050. A key element of this journey is energy efficiency.

Mattias Abrahamsson, Production System Manager at Arla Falkenberg, says, “In recent years, we have placed an increasingly strong focus on monitoring the energy consumption of our plants. In certain areas, however, we simply didn’t know where exactly the energy was being used.” FlexFlow, the calorimetric flow sensor from the Swiss sensor experts at Baumer achieved the breakthrough: Arla installed these sensors at the neuralgic points in
the cooling and heating system and used the measurement results to obtain, for the first time, a clear image of the energy consumption. So the dairy producer can now derive concrete measures for reducing energy consumption.

Clear solutions based on long-term collaboration
Cooling and heating were the tricky points in the energy consumption for Arla Foods in Falkenberg. Because of its commitment to sustainability, the food manufacturer had already made a great effort to reduce the energy balance when the plant was designed. It uses to the greatest possible extent, for example, the low external temperatures of the Swedish climate to achieve a cooling temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius for the cooling circuit, which cools the produced cheese from 60 to 30 degrees Celsius. Yet energy losses that Arla had been unable to localize for some time occurred here as well. “The potentials of the FlexFlow sensor,” explains Abrahamsson, “caught our attention as soon as we heard about them. This sounded exactly like what we had been looking for.” 

"Baumer has been collaborating with Arla Foods for many years,” adds Martin Leupold, Product Manager for process sensors at Baumer. “Our partnership dates back to the 1990’s.” The cooperation has seen the development of a new process connection for milk production called Baumer Hygienic Connection, and this has effectively optimized the cleaning times. The temperature sensors from the CombiSeries product range were also created under the close collaboration between Arla and the Baumer Development Center in Aarhus in Denmark. “This close collaboration is allowing us to get to know our customers’ pain points,” explains Leupold. “And we can use that knowledge to develop or suggest products that actually optimize their processes in a sustainable manner.” To solve the problem of monitoring energy consumption, the choice fell to the FlexFlow sensor because it could easily be integrated into the existing plant and is able to measure both flow and temperature.

Simple to install and impressive features
The simple installation of the FlexFlow sensor is down to the symmetrical and centered design with one sensor element ahead of the sensor tip, which allows the sensor to be optimally installed in the process regardless of installation position and orientation. “We want our portfolio to make commissioning as easy as it can be for our customers”, says Martin Leupold. “This allows them to spend their precious time on what actually needs to be done.” The flow sensor has a robust stainless steel housing that accommodates all the electronics, so there’s no need for complex wiring or control cabinet installation.

The FlexFlow also meets the requirements for protection class IP 68 (Baumer proTect+), making this sensor, together with the materials used, the perfect solution for hygienic applications. One exceptional feature is its maximum temperature range to 150 degrees Celsius, which also qualifies it for
Sterilization-In-Process (SIP) tasks.

Arla has already installed around 15 of these flow sensors in the cooling circuit and heating system. The plan is now to also integrate these sensors into the CIP return line to monitor and optimize the energy consumption there as well.

Abrahamsson concludes: “This has proven to be a cost-efficient solution. And because the sensors installed so far are reliably returning the results we need, we will now install more and more of them.” Leupold is also pleased. “This solution is allowing Arla, our long-term partner, to systematically optimize its energy consumption, save resources and deliver on its sustainability promises. We, at Baumer, are working on these very solutions.”

About Baumer
The Baumer Group is one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of sensors, encoders, measuring instruments and components for automated image processing. Baumer combines innovative technologies and customer-oriented service into intelligent solutions for factory and process automation and offers an unrivalled wide technology and product portfolio. With around 2,700 employees and 39 subsidiaries in 19 countries, the family-owned group of companies is always close to the customer. Baumer provides clients in most diverse industries with vital benefits and measurable added value by worldwide consistent high quality standards and outstanding innovative potential.